Tony-winning Broadway hit, Wicked, is just weeks away from heading to the big screen - but will it be just as fabulous as the stage production?
The long-anticipated film adaptation of the hit musical is set to fly into theatres on 22 November, and naturally, fans of the popular musical know it has big glittery shoes to fill.
Based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, The Wizard of Oz prequel first debuted on Broadway in 2003, where Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel took on the iconic roles of Glinda and Elphaba.
The upcoming big screen outing, directed by Crazy Rich Asians' Jon M. Chu and starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, looks set to cast a spell on audiences and is on course to defy critics' expectations.
Find out everything you need to know about Part 1 of the highly-anticipated movie here.
What's it all about?
The Wicked movie, which is set for release on 22 November, is a film adaptation of the much-loved Broadway musical, which in turn is based on Gregory Maguire's beloved novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.
The musical reimagines the story of the Wizard of Oz, told from the perspective of the witches—primarily Elphaba the 'Wicked Witch of the West' played by Cynthia Erivo (known for her role in Harriet and her Tony Award-winning work in The Color Purple), while Glinda the 'Good Witch' is played by chart-topping pop queen, Ariana Grande.
The plot covers the events of the musical's first act, following green-skinned Elphaba's studies at Shiz University and the beginning of her path to ultimately becoming the Wicked Witch of the West, alongside an unlikely friendship with a classmate who later becomes Glinda the Good Witch of the North.
Fans of the stage production can expect the movie to feature the iconic and catchy tunes from the musical, including Defying Gravity, Popular, and For Good.
Who else is starring in it?
Alongside its two leading ladies, the cast also boasts a stellar line-up including Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, and Matt Stone and Benj Pasek, who are writing the music for the film adaptation, bringing their expertise from the Wicked musical's stage roots.
Why was the release date changed?
The film was initially slated to release in December 2021 but was pushed back several times due to production delays and Covid-19 conflicts which changed the landscape of the film industry.
In 2022, it was confirmed that Wicked would be released as a two-part film. This decision required more time for additional development, pre-production, and post-production work.
The release dates for the two parts of Wicked are now - Part One: 22 November, 2024 and Part Two: 25 December, 2025.
Who is directing?
The movie is being directed by Jon M. Chu, best known for his work on the Crazy Rich Asians (2018) and In the Heights (2021) films.
The Wicked film will mark one of Chu's biggest directorial projects to date, and no doubt, he is feeling the pressure from fans of the acclaimed stage production.
Chu has been vocal about his admiration of the original Wicked musical and his commitment to staying true to its spirit while also bringing something new to the big screen.
What did we learn from the trailer?
The trailer opens in dramatic fashion as a voiceover announces "fellow Ozians, the Wicked Witch of the West is dead" as the witch's hat can be seen lying on the floor in a pool of steaming liquid.
In between the words "discover everything that happened before Dorothy dropped in" flashing on the screen, Grand’s Glinda can be seen arriving in a bubble while Erivo’s Elphaba is seen hiding as a voiceover says "don’t let her get away".
Taking viewers back to the beginning, Glinda says: "Let me tell you the whole story, our paths did cross at school" as clips of the pair when they first met are shown.
Bailey’s Fiyero also features in a forest scene alongside Elphaba in which he asks her: "Why is it you’re always causing some kind of commotion?"
As she replies: "I don't cause commotions, I am one. Some of us are just different," she can be seen gently holding his face.
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Later, Glinda is seen telling Elphaba: "Listen to me, you can do anything" to which she replies "I know", before it cuts to her breaking through a window and flying out on her broomstick.
The pair can also be seen exploring Emerald City as the voiceover of Goldblum's Wizard of Oz says: "The best way to bring folks together is to give them a real good enemy."
It ends with Glinda encouraging Elphaba not to be afraid, to which she defiantly says "it’s the wizard that should be afraid of me" before a clip of her soaring into the sky on her broom is shown.
Running throughout the background is the duo’s powerful rendition of the classic Wicked hit Defying Gravity.
How much did it cost to make?
The production budget for the first part of the two-part adaptation is estimated to be around $200 million.
With a high-profile cast and large-scale sets needed to bring the world of Oz to life, it's hardly surprising that the funds are off the charts.
The budget places Wicked among the higher-end movie productions, especially for a musical, though it is still relatively in line with other big-budget adaptations like The Lion King or Les Misérables.
What are fans of the musical saying?
There has been speculation about whether the 2024 movie will add new songs or make changes to the original score.
Fans of the Broadway musical are particularly invested in the music, and any changes to the songs could be met with a mixed reaction. Some hope for a few fresh additions to deepen the story, while others fear that any changes to the much-loved score could undermine the film's connection to the stage version.
The world is not ready for how great @wickedmovie is. Jon M. Chu, Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande have gifted us a musical masterpiece that is much more than we could have ever expected. Ariana & Cynthia will blow you away. The production design and costumes are a visual spectacle. pic.twitter.com/TizvEL8tEh
— Jazz Tangcay (@jazzt) October 30, 2024
How did Ariana and Cynthia prepare for their roles?
Ariana Grande revealed that her preparation for Wicked auditions involved voice and acting lessons "every day" for six months before being offered the part of Glinda the Good Witch in the Broadway-to-screen adaptation.
The singer has revealed that she spent months working with vocal coach Eric Vetro and acting teacher Nancy Banks because she wanted the role of Glinda "so badly" and had to put in the work to "earn" the coveted part.
During an interview on the Podcrushed podcast, Grande explained why she needed singing lessons when she's already a pro.
"Glinda's a soprano, like an opera soprano, not in the way I'm a soprano in my pop (career)," she shared. "It's just a very different placement in the voice and I was just training it and training it because even though the notes were there, it's a different placement and singing them completely differently so I wanted to train my muscles."
"I would go every day and train to learn the tools that I needed to sing and to be Glinda through and through. I just wanted to know her really well," she continued. "The very classical operatic stuff, I wanted to make sure it sounded authentic and so I trained really hard to do that stuff."
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Meanwhile, Cynthia Erivo said that she's been "working out a lot" to keep her "brain and body super-focused".
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Erivo opened up about playing Elphaba and all the preparation required for the part, saying "there's a lot that goes into it".
"You might see me working out a lot on my Instagram, and that is a real thing, because I need to keep my brain and my body super-focused. I have a wonderful vocal coach who is the most helpful woman I could possibly wish for, and she's been doing this with me."
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Erivo added that "it's a really collaborative effort" and "every little detail is thought about".
She added: "There's the conversations that we've been having, both with myself and Ariana and with myself and the director. Even the costume designer; hair and makeup. It's a really collaborative effort to create these women in this world, and that's how we've been prepping for it.
"We're in it right now; we're deep in it. We're making it, and every little detail is thought about. Every moment is thought about, and I'm so excited for people to get their eyes on it once it's done. I think it's gonna be really special. It's definitely been special to me, and we've had some really wonderful moments doing it."
Wicked is set to fly into cinemas nationwide from 22 November.
